The Beginning of the End – Part 1

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Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God's word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, it doesn't matter if it was Daniel or the Apostle John or Jesus himself, all three testified of the fact that after the first three and a half years, there's going to be a major occurrence that is going to change the world forever. And that is Antichrist is going to break that peace covenant with Israel and turn against Israel and those who become Christians during that period of time. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, some people hear about ancient biblical prophecy and wonder, so what?

What difference should it make to me? Well, today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress illustrates why your eternal destiny matters right now with a sobering look at the coming tribulation. It's an event you really don't want to stick around for. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Whenever I announce that I'm going to tackle a portion of biblical prophecy, I often receive mixed responses. Some people are excited at the prospect of studying a fascinating topic like this one, and others, well, they're a little confused because they can't imagine how Bible prophecy has any real relevance to their lives today. Well, let me assure you, God's plan for our future has everything to do with how we should live right now. And that's why we're giving full attention to this topic in our teaching series called Perfect Ending.

It's also the reason I've written a bestselling book for you that's called Perfect Ending, Why Your Eternal Future Matters Today. This is a full-length book that's more than 200 pages in length and provides clear and concise information about key events on God's timetable for the future. Plus, it'll come with another book that's called The End Times Illustrated, a panorama of Bible prophecy from Genesis to Revelation. And as a bonus, I'm going to include my Bible prophecy chart as well.

I'd be happy to send you all three resources when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. David and I will repeat this information later in the program. But right now, it's time to take your Bible and turn to Revelation chapter 6. Last time, we began looking at the final seven years of Earth's history known as the Great Tribulation. Today, we're going to delve into the specific details and the purpose of this horrific period of time.

My message is titled The Beginning of the End. In his book, Till Armageddon, Billy Graham wrote, the whole world is sighing and suffering on a scale perhaps not known in human history. The refugees, the starving, the psychological woes, the emotional turmoils, the broken marriages, the terrorism, the hostages, the wars, and a thousand other troubles which beset every country in the world.

There are no people anywhere that are immune. The rich and the famous suffer as well as the obscure. It seems that the human race may well be heading toward the climax of the tears, hurts, and wounds of all of the centuries. That climax that Dr. Graham is writing about is that seven-year period, those seven final years of Earth's history. It is a time that we often call the Great Tribulation. It will be a time of natural catastrophes, political chaos, but most of all, the distinguishing characteristic of this period of time will be God's unrelenting judgment against unbelievers. Last time, we began looking at this seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation. Remember, we gave this definition. We said the Tribulation is that seven-year period of time that begins after the rapture of the church, the catching away of believers, and ends with the glorious second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And there you see it once again on that familiar chart we're using in our study. Now, this time we saw last time called the Great Tribulation is also known as the day of the Lord. The prophets wrote about it in the Old Testament. They talked about the day of the Lord that is coming, which is always a time of judgment. It's been known as the time of Jacob's or Israel's distress. But it's also known as Daniel's 70th week.

And you see on your chart there, we talked about that at length last time as well. And one of the most, if not the most amazing prophecy in all of the Bible, God through Gabriel the angel told Daniel in about 550 BC of all of the events that would lead up to the end of the world. And he said specifically in Daniel 9, 24 to 27 that God has ordained 490 years in which to finish his dealing not only with Israel but the entire world. And you see on that clock as we talked about last time, 483 years have already elapsed. And then there is a pause, the Bible says, and there is one final seven-year period of time. And that time, of course, is the time we're talking about the Great Tribulation. We are living right now in that gap between the first 483 years and the final seven years when God will accomplish his purpose for mankind.

I said last time that this seven-year period of time is in many ways like a three-act drama. We looked at the beginning of Act 1 last time, the beginning of the Tribulation. And I want you to notice there are three things that are going to happen at the beginning of the Tribulation.

First of all, the rise of this world leader we call the Antichrist. We learned last time four things about Antichrist. He will come to power after Christians are removed from the earth according to 2 Thessalonians 2. Secondly, he will most likely be a Gentile.

He comes out of the sea, the world of the Gentiles. Number three, we saw that he will rule over a revived Roman Empire that will come in the form of a 10-nation confederacy. And number four, and most importantly, he will oppose the people of God, and he will attempt to change the laws of God, and he will be able to do so with little opposition. The second thing that happens at the beginning of the seven-year period is the rise of someone we call, the Scripture calls, the false prophet. He is best understood as Antichrist's lieutenant.

He helps him in his rise to power. Now, during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation, this false prophet is seen as a religious leader. And he is a religious leader who oversees a world church that is described, now the nice term is harlot in Revelation 17. The King James Version is the horror of Babylon, is what this apostate church is called. This apostate church will have all of the trappings of a Christian church, but it will be an apostate, a fallen church. Some people have tried to identify this church by linking it to a current denomination or expression of Christian faith. I personally think the best way to understand this apostate church is to see it as an amalgamation of different religions in the future.

You know, we live in a culture right now in which there is a great disdain for the absolute truths of historic Christianity. And I believe after the time of world chaos that the world will be receptive to a more politically correct kind of religion, a religion that is watered down, a religion that pays homage to all faith traditions. I think that this future world church could be one part Christian, two part Islam, sprinkled with a little bit of Oprah Transcendental meditation on it. And it'll be something that will be appealing to everyone.

People will want to be a part of it. You know, we have churches like that today, churches that use the symbols of Christianity, churches that use the same vocabulary as Christians, some of them well-known respected churches, well-known and respected denominations. And yet when you peel away these religious trappings, you find that these churches at their very heart deny the most basic tenet of Christianity.

And that is salvation is available only through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ. What we're seeing today is just a harbinger of this future church. But something interesting happens after the first three and a half years of the tribulation in which the church has assisted the Antichrist in his rise to power. The Antichrist will turn against the church. He will destroy the church. Let me just stop here.